Abdul

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Abdul is around 25 years old and he's from Uttar Pradesh. He's married to an Indian girl from Goa and they have one son who is ten months old. They lived in many different places around India and now they are in Mamallapuram, a small touristic city by the sea in the state of Tamil Nadu. Abdul owns a small music shop in the city center. He makes the instruments (as his father taught him) and sells them: flute, sitar, drums, guitar....

I met him some months ago when I was looking for a sitar for my father. I had to go to his shop several times and we became friends.

Last weekend I went to Mamallapuram. I'm leaving India soon so, so it was my last weekend there (for now, who knows?). It was Sunday and I got up very early. I didn't sleep well. I did my yoga on the roof of the hotel and I decided to go for a chai (this usually works when I am in a bad mood). I Just turned the corner and I saw Abdul in front of his shop, he was getting ready the material to make some drums. We started talking (Abdul speaks English quite well, you will see):

- Good morning Abdul! What are you doing here? It's very early!
- Today no early, today late. No possible sleep. One woman next to my house suicide and all night playing drums, many people at her place. Many noise, difficult to sleep.
- What happened?
- She was very young. She married 5 months ago and she was pregnant. Many problems between the families, they always fighting. She suicide (he put his hand in his neck just to show me what happened).

My eyes were wet.... I needed a chai when I got up, but in that moment I needed two. I wanted to invite Abdul but he was quicker than me. He went to the chai shop and took two teas.

We had the tea. Silence. He saw I was moved because of the story.

- Here many people suicide Carol. Some months ago here (he pointed out one house near his shop) one man suicide. He was very young, 25 years old. He was married and they had a 5 months old son. In some places small problems become big problems. If you have small problem you speak with your wife and you go for a walk and finish. But many people drink alcohol and they go out to the street and they talk about their problems and they shout a lot. Everybody know their problems and then, this small problem it's a very big problem. In my village in Uttar Pradesh it didn't happen. If you see some people fighting on the street someone goes there and say “cello, cello!” and finish problem. But here people only think about money, they don't think about people. If there is some problem here all people go there and look, they like fighting.
In some cities like in Mamallapuram or Goa (touristic places) people just think about having a lot of money. They will say they are your friends but, when you did buy something in their shop, they are happy, they don't need you as a friend.

In that moment I remembered that some weeks ago he had a discussion with his brother and he left the city for three days. I also thought about those long lines I saw in some wine shops. And I remembered these words from Abdul's mouth many times: “ Money is not the most important Carol, people is important, talking with them, listening to them, helping”.
 
- But I think that people in India are very strong!
- Some people very strong. Fishermans here very strong. But some people no. Many problems with the families and they can't handle this.

He got the leather ready for the drums and started to paint the wood. I smiled.
 
- Are you happy with your wife?
- Yes, yes, I'm very happy Carol.

I stood up and kept walking (“See you later Abdul”).

In the afternoon I could see woman lying down in front of her house and many people there, just looking or sitting in front of her place. Again they played some music, specially drums.
My father has a sitar at home made by Abdul. I bought it in November 2010 and sent it to Spain.

I enjoyed it a lot when Paul played the guitar we borrowed from Abdul's shop.

I spoke with Abdul longer about many sorts of things during my 6 months in India.
Good luck my friend! Catch you soon!

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Photos

Abdul and me
We were in his music shop in Mamallapuram.

Comments

[Paul]

wow - good piece of writing
This blog is incredible because it cuts to the core of some very real stuff in India - the dislocation of people and the effect it has on their lives - and the dependence (of course) on economic imperative for survival - at what cost. Paul xxxx